Stole
by Shooter O'Brien
Summary: David Jacobs doesn't fit in at his new high school.  But what he does next will make him an outcast to society.  Rated for school shooting.


_He was always such a nice boy_

_The quiet one with good intentions_

_He was down with his brother, respectful to his mother_

_A good boy_

_But good don't get attention_

"David!" his mother yelled from the downstairs living room. "The bus is here!"

"Coming!" David yelled back at her from his room upstairs. David rushed down the stairs, grabbed his backpack, and gave his mother and brother hugs and kisses.

"Bye mom...bye Les...I'll be home right after school," he told them. David's mom grabbed his arm as he started towards the door.

"Davey, can you stop by the grocer after school...we're out of bread, cereal, and some other things," she asked. She handed him a list that was hung on the refrigerator.

David took the list, looked over it, and shook his head, "Mom, we don't have enough money for all of this stuff. Can some of it wait?"

His mom shook her head, "Davey, we need these things, milk...bread...cereal..."

"But you don't get paid until next week, what will we do until then?" he asked.

His mother sighed, "We'll manage, Davey, we'll manage..." David heard the bus driver give a honk so he rushed out the door and managed to get on the bus just as the driver was pulling away.

David surveyed the bus before walking to the back and sitting down in an empty seat. David knew he didn't belong on this bus with these kids. He wasn't like them. He knew he was the odd duck. He could feel people staring at him. What was a nice, smart, up-kept white boy doing at an inner city high school full of kids that only went to high school because their parents or guardians made them?

David could answer that. His dad had been a newspaper editor for the city's main newspaper. His family had lived in the middle class area of town where David spent his freshman year of high school at the area's best, Woodlawn Academy. His little brother, Les, had gone to the elite elementary school in the area. David's dad expected the best out of his sons, academically, athletically, and socially. Where the Jacobs' are originally from, David fit in just fine.

_One kid with a promise_

_The brightest kid in school, he's not a fool_

_Readin' books 'bout science and smart stuff_

_But it's not enough, no_

'_Cause smart don't make you cool_

But, two years ago, David's father called it quits. Retirement didn't even cross his mind. He took the end quite literally. David's mom took her husband's suicide very hard. She became depressed, but has since taken control of her problems. David's father brought in most of the income, so when he died, the family's money source started to die too.

Soon, the money began to dwindle. David's mother had always worked, but it was a low paying job just for kicks so she could get out of the house. She had to get a full time job to support her broken family. The only job she could find was as a maid for apartment homes in the city. She picked up her family and moved them to the inner city. She found an apartment near where she worked that was rented for low pay. When they moved in, David could see why. They were living above a fish store and the place smelled horribly. There were holes in the wall and the house had no running water. David's mother worked hard and got the house functioning again. They were lucky to have two floors to live on, even if they weren't the best quality.

No one paid attention to David as they rode to his new high school. He may have been going there for almost six months, but it still felt new and awkward to him every morning. When the bus stopped, he was the last person off and he walked slowly up the stairs. He took an extra long time to look at the name of the high school engraved in stone above the entrance. David could remember looking at those four words every morning. He could probably draw them in his sleep... "Mayer Jacobs High School."

_Well he's not invisible anymore_

_With his father's nine and a broken fuse_

_Since he walked through that classroom door_

_He's all over prime time news_

A shove in the back by one the linemen on the varsity football team shook David out of his thoughts and kept him moving. His first period was Trig, but he wasn't headed there. He went with the flow of crowd, most of whom where going to first period Physical Education. That was the class all of the burly tough dumb football players took so they could pass a class and stay on the football team.

He followed them until he saw the place he was looking for, the first floor west bathroom. It may sound like a strange and unusual place to be looking for, but it was the bathroom no one ever used. One senior started a rumor about two years back about someone killing themself in that bathroom, someone named Mayer Jacobs. Most kids pushed the rumor off as false, but were still not convinced enough to use the bathroom again.

David quietly slipped into the bathroom. He checked every stall, making sure one of the school's resident potheads hadn't snuck in to have a smoke before class. They hadn't. David walked the length of the bathroom until he reached the far wall. He felt along the red brick wall until he came to a brick that seemed looser than the rest.

_Mary's got the same size hands as Marilyn Monroe_

_She put her fingers in the imprints at Mann's Chinese Theatre Show_

_She could have been a movie star_

_Never got the chance to go that far_

_Her life was stole, Oh Oh, now we'll never know_

David gently pried the brick out and set it gently on the floor. He reached inside the hole and pulled a box out. It was a small box, small like a brick, but it was long. David took a deep breath. His father's diary had been right. He did have a collection of things he kept at this school. But would the contents still be the same?

David sat down, back against the wall and dusted the cover off. It read "Private Belongings of Mayer James Jacobs." He slowly opened the box and set the cover next to him. There wasn't much inside when David looked in. One by one, he took the items out. First, was a photo of David's grandfather and grandmother. Another photo showed David's father as a young boy. He saw yet another of himself when he was younger. David next pulled out a gun. David almost choked. The contents were the same. The last thing in the box was a folded piece of paper. The outside read, "To Dave, my son, because I know you will find this first."

David slowly opened the paper and read aloud what was written.

_Dave,_

_I know when you read this; I will be gone, long gone. I truly hope this hasn't affected your life to a great extent. I know this will be hard for you and Les and mom, but you'll pull through, I know you're strong enough. This has been my secret hiding place since I went to school here. Back then though; it was called Thomas Jefferson High School. I had heard they were going to change the name to mine as a gift before all I've done for the community. Ha, what have I done? And what have I done it for? I guess these things will never get answered...and maybe that's the way it was meant to be. Good luck my son._

_Mayer_

David couldn't believe what was happening. His father, of all people, wanted him to do something so dangerous, so cunning, so unbelievably illegal, and unbelievably crazy. But he would do it; he would do anything for his father.

_They were crying to the camera_

_Said he never fitted in, he wasn't welcome_

_He'd show up at the parties we was hangin' in_

_Some guys were putting him down, bullin' him 'round_

David sat there on the ground in the unused bathroom for a while, sitting, thinking. He was probably missing first period Trig, and maybe second period Chem, but he didn't care. Was he really going to listen to some dead guy's plea for help? But this dead guy was his father. But he didn't seem like a father anymore. Was he still? Of course he was, he's the only person David ever looked up too.

David took a deep breath and stood up. It was now or never. "Don't chicken out," he told himself. David picked up his father's gun and walked out the bathroom without even bothering to put the box back into the wall.

David put the gun into the pocket of his coat and walked down the empty hallway. He passed a teacher he recognized walking towards him. He sighed, it was now or never. He decided on now. "Hello, Da-," the woman started, but she never got to finish. David pulled the gun swiftly out of his pocket and took aim at his teacher's head. David's hands were shaking and he'd never held a gun before. His teacher shouldn't be worried, the wall next to her should be.

_Now I wish I would have talked to him_

_Gave him the time of day, not turn away_

_If I would've then it wouldn't maybe go this far_

_He'd might'a stayed home playing angry cords on him guitar_

"Hello Mrs. Antinaso," David replied calmly. Mrs. Antinaso looked completely shocked, "David! What are you do-..." David tried to calm his shaking hands and took aim again. He again aimed for his teacher's head. "What am I doing?" David asked and fired a shot. David missed his target, but he had hit her in an even more deadly place, her heart.

With her final words, Mrs. Antinaso whispered, "Remember me, O God..." David stared as she slid down the wall, blood staining the bricks behind her. She was dead before she even hit the floor.

David could hear shouts coming from the hallway to the right. They had heard the gunshot. He started to head left, to run away, but he felt a force pulling him right. Right towards the mass of people. David understood, his father was trying to tell him something, and he knew exactly what.

He took off at a run towards the voices. He stopped when he heard them around the turn. David slowed and leaned up to the wall. He would surprise them, and it would be the last surprise they ever got. When he heard them getting closer, David jumped out in front of them and without taking aim, started to fire.

_He's not invisible anymore _

_With his baggy pants and his legs in chains_

_Since he walked through that classroom door_

_Everybody knows his name_

Shouts of pain and confusion could be heard throughout the building. Within 5 minutes, David had run out of bullets. When the smoke of the gun cleared, David could see the people that were chasing him moments ago, lying on the floor, some dead, some soon to be. But either way, David felt he'd triumphed, triumphed over everything, he was the last one standing, and it felt good.

_Mary's got the same size hands as Marilyn Monroe_

_She put her fingers in the imprints at Mann's Chinese Theatre Show_

_She could have been a movie star_

_Never got the chance to go that far_

_Her life was stole, Oh Oh, now we'll never know_

David closed his eyes, dreaming of what his father would have said to him. He barely heard the sirens growing closer every second. He barely felt the gun get taken away and barely felt the handcuffs on his bare skin.

Weeks later, even, he barely saw his mother crying for him. He barely heard the judge's mallet hit the wood. He barely even heard the jury sentence him to life.

_Ya their lives were stole_

_Now we'll never know_

_We were all here, together yesterday..._


End file.
